Stay Gold
by SnowflakeMelodies
Summary: It's been a week since Johnny and Dally died. As Pony begins to recover from being sick, he notices strange things begin to happen around him. A strange old man shows up in - not at, in - their house one day. What does he have to say about all of this?
1. Chapter 1

***shot 'cause she couldn't think of a better title***

**Hey y'all!**

**So, I wanted to say one thing before you read my story; PLEASE IGNORE THE TIME DIFFERENCE. Come up with your own reasons for why Pony, who lives in the 1960's, goes to Hogwarts during Harry's time.**

**Also, please don't murder me for not updating Different Magic, I will soon, I swear! I've just hit a huge writers block. ToT**

**Oh, by the way, this takes place a week after Johnny and Dally die. Just to clear up the timeline of the story, no confusion, okay?**

**Disclaimer: ForeverCellist does not own Harry Potter or the Outsiders. She is only a 14-year-old fanfiction writer. **

* * *

Dumbledore watched the scene quietly, taking it in.

It was a funeral. And not just any funeral, it was a funeral for two boys.

It was a small funeral. Probably the smallest he had ever seen. For there being two boys, not just one, you would assume there would be loads of family for each of them, along with their friends. Instead, the lonely funeral consisted only of 5 young boys. 4 of them appeared to be ranging from early to late teens, and the oldest was around 20.

They were accompanied by a bored looking 'priest'. That, combined with the cheap wooden coffins the two boys lay in, proved that whoever had paid for the funeral had scarcely had enough money to even HAVE a funeral.

He zoned in on the smallest boy. Dumbledore couldn't believe that the boy could have so much magical power and no one in the ministry had found him. Then again, the boys power had been almost invisible until the past week. Over the past week, the boys power had increased tremendously.

Neither of his brothers had enough power to qualify as a wizard. The middle brother had a bit, but the oldest's was almost nonexistent.

Dumbledore made no move to hide as they left the cemetery and headed in his exact direction. He had cast an invisibility spell over himself to ensure he wouldn't be seen.

All 5 of the boys hair was greased back and long, and they all wore jeans and sleeveless sweatshirts or jean jackets.

Dumbledore looked at the youngest boy. He had a look in his eyes that strongly reminded him of Harry. A look full of sadness and grief, but also eternal strength.

He smiled to himself. This finalized his decision. He imagined it would do both boys some good if they met.

He stepped stealthily out of the way as the boys came closer; he would imagine there would be some unpleasing reactions if they ran into something they couldn't see.

The boys middle brother reached over and threw his arm comfortingly over the boys shoulder, though his eyes were filled with sadness as well.

"Don't worry Pony, everything'll be just fine," Sodapop said with his Southern accent.

Ponyboy nodded slightly but didn't reply and Darrel - the oldest brother - glanced over at them sadly.

Dumbledore apparated into their house to wait for them to return. He knew they would be shocked to find an old man sitting in their house, but what better way to introduce them to the strange ways of the world of magic?

* * *

Ponyboy sighed and leaned against Soda when his big brother wrapped an arm around him.

Why was life so tough for Greasers? Why couldn't things be simpler?

He couldn't believe Dally and Johnny were gone just like that. The boys he had grown up with, that were practically his brothers, were gone.

He felt the tears well up in his eyes and was slightly surprised. It was a wonder he hadn't run out of tears by now. Hm.

They arrived at his house and Darry wordlessly invited Steve and Two-Bit in.

None of them expected to see what they did when they walked in.

An old man was sitting on the sofa, smiling at them.

Of course none of the boys wanted to attack an old man, even if he WAS in their house. So Steve said, "Um... Old man, I think your in the wrong place."

The man merely smiled.

"Actually, I'm here to speak to Ponyboy."

All eyes were on Ponyboy in an instant.

"W-what do you want me for?" Ponyboy managed. This guy was probably another newspaper reporter or something. He'd talked to several of them. But why was the guy in their house?

The man's gaze shifted to Steve and Two-Bit before moving back to Pony.

"First let me introduce myself. My name is Professor Dumbledore."

"You like a college professor?" Steve asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "No. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

There was a full minute of silence before both Two-Bit and Steve burst out laughing. The Curtis brothers, however, remained straight faced.

"You gonna go learn to be a wizard Pony?" Two-Bit laughed. But his grin fell when he saw the brothers' expressions.

"Y'all don't actually believe this stuff, do you?" he asked.

"Would I be correct in saying you three have noticed some odd things in the past week?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"You mean our best friends dying? 'Cause thats normal in our area," Steve said bitterly.

Dumbledore smiled. "Not like that. I'm sure your friends here know what I'm talking about."

"You mean like... Eggs randomly flying off my plate and into my face when Pony's mad at me?" Soda asked, no humor in his voice whatsoever. Steve however snickered.

Dumbledore nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes, like that. Now, most young witches and wizards-"

"So, Pony's a wizard?" Two-Bit asked, eyes widening.

"Exactly."

"But magic ain't real!" Steve countered.

"I assure you it is more real than you may think," Dumbledore answered, pulling a stick out of his pocket. The stick looked like the stereotypical wizard wand you'd see, just fancier. It was made out of white wood and intricately carved. He waved the wand and the coffee table turned into a pig, then turned back.

All five boys stared at the table in shock.

"Now, as I was saying, most young witches or wizards begin to develop their powers at a young age, but up until recently, your power has remained somewhat dormant. However, in just the past week your inner power has reached surprising levels. I won't lie; without proper training, worse things could happen than flying eggs."

"So, you wanna just take away Pony for a year?" Darry asked.

"It'll be okay," Pony assured him, though he didn't really want to go. But if he had to be trained to keep from causing something bad to happen, then he would do whatever.

"No, it's not," Darry said, looking at him with a pained expression. "You don't understand. I'm not losing you."

"Don't worry, Ponyboy will definitely be safer at Hogwarts than if he were to stay here untrained," Dumbledore said.

"Darry..." Soda looked at his older brother. "Let him go. It's only for the school year."

Darry glared at him. "Fine, whatever. When does he leave?"

"I will send someone to come and retrieve him in one weeks time."

"Sorry to tell you, but we ain't got the money to pay for school supplies," Darry said.

Dumbledore smiled again. "Don't worry, all will be taken care of." He stood up. "Thank you for your time. I look forward to seeing you at our school, Ponyboy." And with that, he vanished into thin air.

* * *

**Reviews?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! ^^ I meant to update already, but I've had a very busy week full of orchestra stuff. I was up at my school till 8:30 three days this week, then yesterday my mom and I drove 4 hours to pick up my cousins and today 4 hours back. (to bring them with us.) They're staying with us for spring break. **

**Special thanks to my 2 reviewers, Jenny Harlow and prittymiddy! (If I screwed those up please tell me…) This chapter is dedicated to you! ^^ *pointed look at non-reviewers***

**Here you go! **

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* * *

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The boys stared at the place where the old man - the old wizard - had been.

No one said anything for a full minute, before Ponyboy broke the silence.

"I'm going for a walk."

No one said anything as the boy walked out the door.

* * *

Ponyboy walked down the sidewalk, kicking at a clump of dirt.

'However, in just the past week your inner power has reached surprising levels. I won't lie; without proper training worse things could happen than flying eggs.'

He had powers? He was a wizard? Great. Like being a Greaser wasn't bad enough, or having two of his best friends die in just the past week.

Did he really believe that old man, Dumbledore? He could just be some crazy old man. But then again, he did turn the coffee table into a pig. How do you explain that?

He didn't know what to think.

But at the moment it didn't matter what he thought about the whole wizard thing because he realized that a bright red mustang was following him and the only thought on his mind was 'run.'

Dang it.

He still hadn't completely recovered from being sick or the week of living off bologna. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight back, or hardly even able to run from them, especially with them in a car.

But he ran anyway. The mustang sped up and he increased his pace as best he could.

His attempts didn't work though; the Socs were out of the car and on him in a second.

They threw him to the ground, hard, and he cried out when his head hit the ground. He saw stars momentarily before a fist was sunk into his stomach and his breath left him.

"You're the Greaser that helped kill Bob, aren't you?" a Soc standing off to the side demanded.

Pony didn't know if they expected him to answer; he wouldn't have been able to. Blackness ate at the edges of his vision and his mind was getting sort of fuzzy. Why wasn't the game coming to save him?

He'd only been gone 10 minutes. Of course they wouldn't think anything was wrong.

The Soc on his chest punched him again before pulling a blade out of his pocket.

Fear filled Ponyboys insides.

"Maybe we should do the same to you as you did to him?" the Soc on his chest muttured.

Ponyboy squeezed his eyes shut as the Soc raised the blade, still panting for breath.

"Darry," he muttered hoarsely.

He was going to die.

He was going to die.

He was...

No. He couldn't die.

He WOULDN'T die.

He heard a yelp of surprise and opened his eyes just in time to see the Soc go flying off his chest and slam into the fence beside them.

The three Socs stared at him, and the one that had went flying stood up, looming over him menacingly.

"What did you do you little brat?" he demanded.

He raised the knife again, nearing Ponyboy, when suddenly the sky went dark.

It had been a sunny afternoon, the sun was just going down, but now dark clouds came out of nowhere and filled the sky.

The Socs looked at Pony, fear in their eyes, before running, hopping in the car, and driving away.

Pony stood up shakily, still dizzy. A strange, foreboding feeling filled the pit of his stomach.

He had to get out of there.

He half ran, half stumbled down the road towards his house, but tripped and fell. He looked up just in time to see three dark shapes swoop down seemingly from the sky.

He had never seen anything quite so terrifying.

Tall... Creatures in long black cloaks floated down. They looked like something out of one of the horror movies Two-Bit had dragged him to before, only scarier.

And it only made it worse when he realized they were headed straight for him.

Run, his mind screamed at him.

Run.

Run.

RUN.

He stood up and ran as fast as his dizzy, wobbly legs could carry him. He stumbled but kept going. He had never been so scared In his whole life.

Rain began pouring down in buckets, soaking him to the bone.

Suddenly, he was filled with a strange, unbearable sadness. Memories flashed through his mind. A police officer coming to his door, telling him and his brothers that their parents had been killed in a car accident; his parents funeral; a social services person telling them that they would be keeping constant watch over the boys, that one wrong move could mean their separation; when he got jumped by those Socs walking home from the movies; the Socs drowning him; waking up to Johnny telling him he'd murdered a boy; the fire at the church; Johnny dying in that lonely hospital bed; Dally being shot down at the lot; the trial; the funeral.

One of the creatures swooped down in front of him and grabbed him by the shoulders, lifting him up. The black hood shifted slightly, revealing what looked like a deep, dark hole. It made a weird sucking sound, and the weirdest feeling swept over Ponyboy. It felt like the life was being literally sucked out of him; he couldn't think of any other way to put it.

The world blurred in front of his eyes and the blackness returned to the edges of his vision. The world, which had already been spinning, rocked dangerously back and forth.

Vaguely off in the distance, he heard someone shout something. There was a bright light, and the creature dropped him to the ground. He felt someone roll him over and pick him up, saying something before the world went completely black.

* * *

Harry sat in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld place eating dinner. Hermione, the Weasley's, and various Order members were there as well.

"Dumbledore just sent an owl along," Mrs. Weasley said, coming into the room. "He said he'll be here shortly, and that he's bringing someone else along as well."

"A new order member?" Sirius asked.

"He didn't say," Mrs. Weasley replied.

Harry had just opened his mouth to speak when there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Weasley got up to open it, disappearing into the front room.

There was silence for a moment before they heard Mrs. Weasley gasp and say, "Bring him in, bring him in!"

She returned into the room, followed by Dumbledore, who was carrying an unconscious boy.

Tonks, Ginny and Hermione all gasped at the sight of the boy, while the boys just gaped.

The boy was on the small side, but looked to be around 13 or 14. He was soaking wet and extremely pale. His face and arms, as far as they could see, were covered with bruises. His brown hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and water. His breaths came out in gasps.

"Take him to the other room and lay him on the couch," Mrs. Weasley said, pulling the first aid kit out of the cabinet.*

Dumbledore took the boy into the other room and Mrs. Weasley followed. The others in the kitchen waited impatiently until Dumbledore returned.

"What in the world happened?" Sirius demanded when the old wizard sat down at the table. The younger ones leaned forward curiously, glad they weren't being kicked out from the impromptu "meeting."

"Up until recently, this boy's magical abilities have remained dormant. But in the past week, his power has reached surprising levels. I believe this to be caused by some recent events," Dumbledore told them.

"Recent events?" Lupin repeated.

Dumbledore smiled. "That is unimportant. Besides, I don't know if I should reveal private matters."

"So are you sending him to Hogwarts?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Yes. He needs to be trained."

"What happened to him?" Tonks asked.

"I'm not sure how he acquired his wounds, but I do know he had a nasty run-in with some dementors."

Hermione gave a little gasp. "Really? Why would they attack him?"

"I think a better question is, why did they go to America and attack him?" Dumbledore said.

"He's American?" Ron repeated.

"Isn't that what he just said?" Ginny said, rolling her eyes before turning back to Dumbledore to listen.

"That is a little strange, though. I can understand them attacking Harry, but some 14-year-old boy who's powers have just developed?" Lupin said.

"That's what I'm curious about," Dumbledore told them. "He would have some sad memories, making the dementors attack him, but I don't know why they would be in his area. He lives in a very small town in America."

"What's his name?" Tonks asked.

Dumbledore smiled slightly before saying, "Ponyboy."

Ron choked on his drink, and the twins laughed.

"Ponyboy? You must be-"

"Pulling our leg-"

"Aren't you?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

From the other room came a startled cry, followed by Mrs. Weasley saying something softly in a comforting voice. A voice replied back just as softly, before Mrs. Weasley walked into the room, leading the boy, Ponyboy.

Ponyboy didn't look to bad now that Mrs. Weasley had taken care of him. He was still a bit pale though, and looked tired. There was a bandage wrapped around his forehead under his hair, and another on his upper arm. He walked a bit unsteadily. Harry noticed he was also very skinny.

"Well Ponyboy, you can sit there and I'll get you something to eat," Mrs. Weasley said. Ponyboy sat in the chair she gestured to, keeping his head down shyly.

They sat in silence a bit, before the twins broke it.

"So, your name-"

"Is it really Ponyboy?"

"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley said sharply from at the stove.

Ponyboy looked at them. "Yeah. Ponyboy Michael Curtis." He was definitely American. His accent was also kind of southern too. There was a hint of pride at the edge of his voice.

"Well I like it!" Tonks announced and Ponyboy smiled at her. "My name's Tonks."

"That's a cool name," Ponyboy said.

He suddenly blinked. "Do my brothers know that I'm here?" he asked Dumbledore. "They're probably really worried, especially after..." he trailed off and fidgeted uncomfortably.

Harry frowned. Wouldn't his parents be worried too? He must've just forgot to mention them as well.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'll go and inform them tomorrow."

"Mum, where's he gonna sleep?" Ron asked suddenly.

"Well, this house is very large... Are there any more open guest rooms?" Molly asked Sirius.

He laughed. "Actually, there's still four open rooms."

"Okay, Ponyboy can sleep in one of those rooms tonight," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?" Ponyboy asked.

"Of course!" Molly said, setting a big bowl of soup in front of Ponyboy. "You're so skinny," she said.

"Thanks," Ponyboy said. He took a few sips of the broth before his face went slightly green and pushed the bowl away a bit.

Molly obviously noticed this as well. "You poor thing," she said sympathetically. "Why don't you go ahead and go to sleep." She looked at Ron, who was stuffing his face with chicken.

"Ronald! You and Harry go show Ponyboy to one of the guest rooms. And for heavens sake quit eating like a pig!"

"Fine," Ron said, standing up. Harry followed in suit.

Ponyboy stood up and followed them down the hall and up the stairs. He was nearly a head shorter than Harry, who was around average height, maybe a bit taller.

Harry could tell the younger boy was exhausted just by the way he walked. Sure enough, as soon as they showed him to a room, he was in the bed and sound asleep.

* * *

***I know they have magic, but think about it. Have you ever seen or read about them using magic to heal? They use potions and everything, but they never just wave their wands and heal. Well, besides Lockhart, but that was a fail. ;;**

**Please review! ^^ **


	3. Chapter 3

Hey y'all!

By the way, before you point it out in a review or something - yes, Pony and the others will be saying "ma'am" and "sir" a lot. I noticed that that's something people tend to leave out in fanfictions. But the thing is, they're from the South, and I definitely know a thing or two about the south. (*Lives in Texas*) Here in the south, manners are big. We say ma'am and sir a whole lot. Apparently, people in the north don't say that. I lived in Penn. for a couple years, and everyone thought my parents were weird for teaching me 'yes ma'am,' 'no sir,' etc. It's just a cutlure thing. ^^

Well, I hope you enjoy this!

Onto the story~

* * *

Ponyboy woke slowly, feeling slightly disoriented. Where was he?

He opened his eyes and the memories from the previous day washed over him.

He lay there for a minute, eyes closed. His whole body was sore and his head hurt. A terrible homesickness washed over him and he swallowed the lump in his throat struggling to keep from crying. All he wanted was to be back home with his brothers and the gang. Better yet, to be back before all of this even started, when Johnny and Dally were still alive, and he wasn't... A wizard.

He opened his eyes slowly and yelped, throwing his head back and hitting it on the headboard. Two identical red heads hovered over him, grinning.

Pony vaguely remembered them from dinner the night before. They had laughed at his name. He wasn't really mad at them though; he was used to people laughing.

"How did you get in here?" he demanded shakily.

"Well, we-"

"Apparated of course-"

"What else?"

Ponyboy just stared dumbly at them. Apparate? What was that?

"Well, mum says it's time for breakfast-"

"So come downstairs."

Suddenly, they disappeared, leaving Ponyboy to stare at the spot the just were, wondering if that had really just happened.

He lay there for a few more seconds before sitting up and climbing out of bed. He was wearing an unfamiliar pair of jeans and a t-shirt that were a bit too big. He glanced in the mirror on the wall. He really wished he could get at some hair grease; at the moment his hair was a mess all over his head. The blond had grown out and now his hair was back to old color. (Save for a bit shorter; he had grown impatient waiting for the last bit of blond to grow out and just cut it off. It was still long though.)

He opened the door and headed for the stairs. As he was walking down the long staircase, he could hear a woman's voice shouting something.

"-Apparate everywhere you go! Probably gave the poor boy a heart attack!"

Ponyboy followed the voice until he came to a door, which he pushed open.

Everyone in the room stared at him, and he stared back awkwardly.

"Good morning Ponyboy!" a girl with pink hair said. She had been the one to complement his name the previous night - Tonks. "Did you sleep okay?"

Pony was still tired, but he answered, "Yeah." He turned to the red-headed lady that had helped him and invited him to stay with them. "Thank you, ma'am, for taking care of me."

She smiled. "It's no trouble, dear. And call me Mrs. Weasley. Now, if your stomach is feeling a bit better, why don't you come sit down and have breakfast?"

He took the open seat next to a girl with bushy, brown hair. A plate of bacon, sausage and eggs was placed in front of him.

"Dumbledore went to contact your family," Mrs. Weasley told him. "I'm sure your parents have been worried sick about you."

Ponyboy lowered his eyes and didn't reply.

"Well, hurry up and eat!" Hermione said cheerfully. "You didn't have anything for dinner, you must be starving!"

* * *

Harry immediately noticed Ponyboy's reaction when his parents were mentioned. Did he not have a good relationship with his parents?

Hermione obviously didn't notice, because she just cheerfully told Ponyboy to eat and left it.

Ponyboy picked at his food, looking lost in thought.

There was a tap on the window, and Harry looked up to see a small brown owl outside. Mrs. Weasley opened the window and took the letter and the owl flew away.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

read the letter to herself before announcing, "Ponyboy dear, your family will be coming later to pick you up!"

Ponyboy's whole face lit up through the bruises. "When?"

Mrs. Weasley laughed. "Around noon. Why don't you go freshen up? I look forward to meeting your parents!"

Pony frowned suddenly but nodded slowly. Something was definitely up, Harry decided. Maybe whatever had happened to Ponyboy, Ponyboy didn't want his parents to find out about. Or maybe…. Hm.

"But they're Muggles, how will they be able to come here?" Tonks asked curiously.

Mrs. Weasley glanced back down at the letter. "Dumbledore said he cast a temporary spell over them so that they can see everything."

"Ron, go show Ponyboy to the bathroom. Lend him a pair of your clothes," Mrs. Weasley said. She looked Ponyboy over and said, "They're definitely going to be too big, but we'll have to make due."

* * *

Two hours later, Harry along with half the order sat in the kitchen, eating lunch and chatting. "Half the order" included Lupin, Sirius, Tonks, Moody, and the Weasley family.

Ponyboy sat at the table as well, eating quietly. He was now dressed in a pair of Ron's jeans, t-shirt and jacket, all several sizes too big on him. He kept glancing up at the door to the hallway, waiting for his family to appear.

Suddenly, the back door opened and everyone turned to look.

Dumbledore walked in, followed by 4 boys. Most of them seemed to be in their late teens, while one seemed to be a bit older.

They stood there for a moment before the youngest of the boys said softly, "Pony..."

That was all it took for Ponyboy to jump up with a strangled cry of, "Soda, Darry!" before running to the boys and embracing them.

"Pony, your hair," one of the boys snickered, ruffling the fluffy, tangled mess that was Pony's hair.

"I know, I know," Pony frowned. "I need to get a hold of some grease."

Mrs. Weasley watched the boys in surprise before walking over, hand out to the oldest man. "Are you... Ponyboy's father?"

The man's face hardened. "No ma'am, I'm his oldest brother, Darrel Curtis. Our parents are dead ma'am." But he still shook the hand of the now wide-eyed Mrs. Weasley.

Suddenly it all made sense, Harry realized, why Pony acted the way he did whenever his parents were mentioned.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Weasley said softly.

The others in the room looked on quietly and curiously.

"Are you all related?" Tonks asked.

"No ma'am," Darrel answered. "Ponyboy and Sodapop-" he gestured to the younger boy that still had his arms wrapped protectively around Ponyboy, "Are my kid brothers. Two-Bit-" the boy with a goofy grin, "And Steve-" the boy close by Sodapops side, "Are our friends. They're as much like brothers as they can get, though."

"So who takes care of you?" Mrs. Weasley asked carefully.

This time Soda answered. "We all take care of each other. Me and Darry work to get cash. Pony goes to school; he's smarter than I'll ever be. Everyone one in our gang takes care of each other. It's the way it is in our neighborhood."

Mrs. Weasley was looking at them with pure pity in her gaze.

"Here, why don't you boys sit down and I'll fix you some lunch, alright?" she said.

Darry frowned. "You don't have to do that, ma'am."

Mrs. Weasley frowned as well. "Nonsense. You're our guests. I insist. Besides, the foods already cooked, I'll just heat it up a bit."

Darry opened his mouth to argue again, but Soda cut in. "Thank you, ma'am."

The boys sat down and Ponyboy took his seat again. The Order members sat in silence, but Two-Bit chattered comfortably. To Harry, it sounded like they were speaking a different language. It was almost like when he had first learned about the wizarding world.

"Jeez Pony, you near scared us all half to death, 'specially Soda n' Darry. When you left and didn't come back, Darry wanted to go out and look for you... We thought maybe you'd been jumped by some dang Socs again. We couldn't really call the fuzz, y'know? But then Mr. Dumbledore showed up and told us you were here."

No one really understood what he meant, but apparently it was enough for Ron to snort, "All this trouble for one shrimp?"

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley cried, shocked. "Apologize!"

"Sorry," Ron mumbled. "But I just mean that you all are acting like he's all-important or something."

Steve was analyzing Ron coolly. "Kids had some bad stuff happen to him, not too long ago. Just bein' safe." Ponyboy looked surprised at this, but he didn't say anything.

"So? I bet Harry's got it way worse, but we don't act like he's a king or something, like-" he cut off at the glare Steve was giving him.

* * *

And, finish. xD Phew. Now I have to go work on the next chapter of Different Magic. Sorry for the lag between chapters, guys. T^T Anyway, after I finish the next chapter for DM I'll start on chapter 4 for this. ^^

Oh, and if Steve seems OOC (considering he doesn't like Pony)…. All will be explained. xD


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